How do I pay for my subscription?Direct Debit is the easiest way to pay and will automatically renew your subscription each year. You can cancel the Direct Debit at any time by contacting your bank or building society.

Credit/Debit card either online or by telephone

Cash/Cheque in person at our offices

How do I renew my subscription?Renew your subscription online, by telephone or in person. You can increase or decrease the number of subscriptions you renew.• If you renew the same number of subscriptions you will receive a sticker for your existing grey bin(s)• If you increase the number of subscriptions you will receive stickers, any additional bins will be delivered within 10 working days from payment• If you decrease the number of subscriptions and you would like us to collect any surplus grey bins you can do it online

What if I don't want to pay?It is a voluntary opt-in service - if you don't want to pay you don't have to but you will not receive any garden waste collections. We'd encourage people to compost, take it to the tip or consider sharing with a neighbour and split the cost.

Are there any concessions?No.

Is this not already included in my council tax?Council tax does not cover all of our costs. The additional funding provided by Central Government is rapidly decreasing and Lancashire County Council withdrew the £1million subsidy we received for recycling due to cuts in their funding. To protect and maintain this service a charge was introduced.

Which bin should I use?Garden waste is collected in a grey bin. If you are signing up for the first time and the property hasn't previously had a garden waste subscription, we will deliver a grey bin.

Can I share a bin with a neighbour?Yes, as long as one of you takes responsibility and registers and pays for the service.

What can I put in my grey bin?Garden waste but not food waste. Items that can be included are: leaves, weeds, grass cuttings, garden prunings, twigs and small branches, windfall fruit, straw and sawdust from domestic pets and cut flowers.

I live in a flat/shared accommodation - what happens?You will need to speak to your neighbours or your landlord to see if they are willing to pay for garden waste collections.

How many collections will I receive?You will receive a minimum of 22 collections per year, which equates to around £1.30 per collection. There will be a gap between collections over the Christmas period.

If I sign up part way through the year do I get a discount?No. The price is per bin per subscription regardless of when you sign up. The subscription year runs from 1 May to 30 April.

Will my collection day change?In order to ensure collection rounds are efficient it may be necessary to change your collection day but we will let you know if that's going to be the case.

If I don't want to sign up how can I get rid of my garden waste?You can take your waste to the tip or home compost. Those on certain benefits may be eligible for a free composter - contact us for more details.

How will the bin crew know I have signed up to the service?You will receive a sticker for your grey bin and the crews will have a list of properties that are signed up to the scheme.

What happens if I move house?You must leave the grey bin at the property you have registered the service for. If there is a grey bin already at your property with a sticker on for 2018/19 garden waste collections you will not need to sign up again. If the new property is not registered you will need to sign up to the scheme from that address. We'd recommend that you pass the cost of the subscription on to the people buying your property.

Can I get a refund if I cancel the service?Only within 14 days of receiving your terms and conditions. Following this period no refunds will be issued.

Can I get a refund if my collection is missed?No. Missed collections are rare and there may be a reason why your bin hasn't been emptied. If we do fail to empty your bin please report it online and we will respond accordingly.

I don't have garden waste in winter. Do I get a reduction?No. The charge is for a full year and we cannot reduce the charge based on the number of times the bin was used.

Could I just put my garden waste in my domestic waste (green) bin?We would advise you not to. You could also consider sharing a bin with a neighbour or taking it to the tip.

Will you take extra waste at the side of my grey bin?No, only garden waste in your grey bin will be collected.

Asbestos must be disposed of appropriately at household waste recycling centres. The disposal of asbestos into general household waste bins is not acceptable due to the manual handling involved. More information about the correct disposal of asbestos and which household waste recycling centres accept it can be found on Lancashire County Councils website.

If you, or someone you know, has difficulty getting the wheelie bin to where it is collected from, and no one else is available to help, we can arrange for the crew to pull the bin out and return it back to where it is stored. The storage point can't be behind locked gates or in a garage, and we'll need to talk to you before we arrange the service. This service is free of charge.

Clinical waste is collected every Friday. This needs to be arranged via a district nurse who will provide you with the necessary containers. The nurse will then need to contact us with details of your address before we can arrange the collection.

Sharps are also collected on a Friday but you are required to contact us for every collection needed. The boxes are available from your GP or district nurse.

Food waste from your kitchen now needs to go in your green bin rather than your grey bin.

This is because as Lancashire County Council seeks to make savings, the special indoor composting facility using a controlled temperature necessary to kill bacteria in food has closed. The garden waste collected doesn’t need this high temperature treatment and is now taken to an outdoor composting facility.

LCC’s figures show that of the mixed food and garden waste that was previously collected, less than 1% is food and therefore the huge expense in treating food waste compared with garden waste cannot be justified.

Please put your left overs from your meals, meat, fish and chicken bones, and your out of date food in your green bin for collection. Vegetable and fruit peelings can either go in your green bin for collection, or you can compost it at home.

To find out more about home composting click the Get Composting link on the right of this page.

To help reduce the amount of food you throw away, click the Love food hate waste link on the right of this page.

Large items which do not fit in the normal bin can be collected separately for a charge.

Items must be left at pavement level for collection. Items may include: Beds, tables, chairs and other furniture.

Items not collected: Renovation waste such as rubble, wood, window frames and garden waste will not be collected. This waste should be taken to the household waste recycling centre.

Charity organisations such as Help the Homeless will take items of furniture or alternatively they can be taken to the local tip. Vans and some trailers require a tip permit. This can be obtained from Lancashire County Council.

Fees for large item collections from 1 April 2018• ​Single item £20.00• Up to five items £40.00Note: Specific items will be counted as single items, for example a 3 piece suite will count as 3 items.

Collections are available Monday to Friday. Our contractor will contact you to make arrangements. Specific collection times will not be given. Items should be left in the pre-arranged location with easy access and will be collected within 7 working days of the date of orders.

You can request a large item collection online.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)From 1 April 2018 collections of household WEEE will no longer be free of charge. Charges as per the large item collection service will apply (see above).

What is WEEE?• WEEE is Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and needs to be recycled separately from other waste.• If you have an old or unwanted household item such as a microwave, fridge, washing machine, or computer this is WEEE, basically anything with a plug or batteries.

The service is a doorstep collection service which means that the collection crew will call at your property to pick up the electronic or electrical items. Items must be left outside for collection. The crew will not uninstall items from within your home.

Collections will be within 7 working days of the date ordered. Collections will take place the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Items should be left in the pre-arranged location with easy access.

All bins are available in 2 sizes: • Small (140L) - for households that do not produce a lot of rubbish, generally no more than 2 people in the household• Standard (240L) – standard size for most households in the borough

There is a charge of £30.00 per bin (green, blue and brown). The bin is then your property and you can take it with you if you move house.

The Council's policy is for one green refuse bin per household. If you require an additional refuse bin you will need to complete a waste audit pack and return it to the Council.

Note we no longer supply black pods for blue bins.

You can order waste or recycling containers online, under Do It Online, Order it.

Why has my bin not been collected?Reasons why the bin may not have been collected:• Bin out on the wrong day• Bin not out by 7am• Additional bags or bin overflowing• Wrong type of waste in bin• Bin not at collection point• No access/obstruction

What if I forgot to put my bin out?Your bin will not be collected until your next collection. However, you can take household waste to the household waste recycling centres.

What if I put my bin out on the wrong day?

Your bin will be collected on the next collection day.

You can check your bin collection day online.

My household bin isn't big enough - can you provide extra capacity?One household (green) bin is allowed and any extra waste should be taken to the household waste recycling centre.

If you have a valid need for more capacity such as a very large family, we will carry out a check on what you are throwing away to see if there is a way we can help you reduce it.

An additional bin may be offered but you will have to pay for this. More than one brown or blue bin is allowed.My bin is damaged - can I have a new one?You can report a damaged bin online. There is a charge of £30 for replacement bins. Replacement containers may not be brand new but will be of a useable standard.

Where are my local recycling collection points?There are some recycling banks or 'bring sites' available in the Borough.The following items can be recycled at various locations:• Glass• Paper• Plastic bottles and cans• Textiles• Shoes• Books

Consider taking textiles to local charity shops.

Recycling collection points near you are available to view online.Can I compost at home?Yes. Over half of the rubbish in most household bins can be composted instead of being sent to landfill. By composting at home you can turn your rubbish into a valuable conditioner to improve the structure, texture and aeration in your soil, helping your garden to bloom. Items such as fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, egg shells, cardboard and of course your green garden waste can all be composted.

A home compost bin scheme is in operation throughout Lancashire. To find out more about composting or to order a bin visit www.getcomposting.com quoting reference LAN01L